


Sleigh Bells Ringing

by its_dian



Series: Dian's Dreamnap Family AU [3]
Category: Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Babies, Baby's first words, Christmas, Christmas Decorations, Cliffhangers, Cookies, Dinner, Domestic Bliss, Family Bonding, Family Dynamics, Fluff, Gift Giving, M/M, Mentioned Niki | Nihachu, Morning Cuddles, Moving In Together, Plushies, Sharing Clothes, Snow Day, Traditions, Winter, kind of, santa
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-15
Updated: 2021-03-15
Packaged: 2021-03-23 06:01:27
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,736
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30051000
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/its_dian/pseuds/its_dian
Summary: The holidays are always something Dream looks forward to, but with his little makeshift family by his side, he knows this year will be even more. . . special. Yeah, special.
Relationships: Clay | Dream & Toby Smith | Tubbo, Clay | Dream/Sapnap (Video Blogging RPF)
Series: Dian's Dreamnap Family AU [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2208372
Comments: 10
Kudos: 48





	Sleigh Bells Ringing

**Author's Note:**

> This is part of my domestic dreamnap series, and there are some parts that might make less sense if you haven't read the other parts (I promise you won't regret reading them), so maybe go give those a look! 
> 
> Enjoy the fic and please let me know if there are any spelling/grammar mistakes :D

He glances over at the newest donation as he steps into the nether portal, reading it aloud.

“What are your plans for the holidays? Hmmm. . . Well I’m most likely going to be spending it with my family, I think my mom and sister are supposed to be coming up here to New York, and I  _ might _ be having a special visitor that you guys are familiar with.” 

He’s just playing it up a bit for the sake of dramatics, he knows that Karl has already bought the tickets to come visit. He’s set to arrive a couple days before Christmas, and leave the night before Christmas Eve.

Clay’s been streaming for a couple hours now, but he’s going to end soon so that he can bring Nick lunch at work. He still hasn’t told his fans that he has a boyfriend or a child, but that doesn’t mean he hasn’t thought about it.

He’s thinking of waiting to do it until he face reveals, which he doesn’t think will be any time soon. Winter is here, and even as he’s streaming right now he can see the snow coming down heavy outside through his window. Tubbo is currently one floor up at the Innit residence, having a play-date with Tommy, so Clay doesn’t have to worry about being loud.

Which is good, because when he gets knocked off of an edge and into the lava by an angry piglin, he bangs his desk instinctively and choses to exit back to the menu.

“Okay I think that was the last run for today! I love you all and I’ll see you soon! Be expecting a new video sometime later this week!”

He raids a smaller streamer who’s also playing minecraft, sitting back in his seat and picking up his phone. He opens his messages with Nick.

“what do u want for lunch i just finished streaming”

He doesn’t know if Nick’s with a patient or not, so he gets up while he waits for an answer, stretching his arms above his head.

After he gets done with work, Nick is supposed to come over to the apartment so the three of them, Clay, Nick, and Tubbo, can all put up the tree and make cookies.

Pushing his phone into the pocket of his pajama pants, Clay pushes his hands into the pockets of his hoodie as he walks into the kitchen. He plans to finish editing a video tomorrow, but for right now he checks the cabinets to make sure he’s got everything for the cookies. 

Checking through the cabinets and fridge, he sees everything on his recipe list, but he feels like he’s forgetting something.

Standing in the middle of the kitchen, Clay looks around blindly.

Hmm. . .

The cookie cutters!

He can’t remember where he’s put them, looking through both the upper and lower cabinets, until he eventually finds them in the lower cabinet closest to the fridge.

He sets the box on one of the counters, sorting through them until he finds the Christmas ones, sitting them to the side for later.

He’s putting the box back in the cabinet when he hears a ding from his phone. Closing the cabinet door, he picks up his phone, leaning over the counter.

It’s a response from Nick. Clay smiles, opening the message and scanning the contents.

“i don't really mind, get something we’ll both eat”

Simple enough.

He knows both he and Nick like the food from the coffee shop down the street, the very same one he went to the day he met Nick for the first time with Tubbo.

Clay smiles at the memory, and goes into his room to change before he heads out. 

He throws on a pair of jeans and a hoodie from the basket of clean laundry sitting on the bed, grabbing his keys.

It’s only on his way out the door that he realizes that the hoodie he chose is actually one of Nick’s.

\- - -

Walking into the building, he’s immediately met with multiple things. 

First, they’ve put up Christmas decorations. Nothing too overwhelming, just little white fairy lights around the top of the walls, a Christmas tree with a bunch of cute little baubles both normal and shaped like baby-related things and cartoon characters, and the doormat has been replaced by a simple one that just has a cream colored background and a plain tree in the middle.

It’s nice, and it only gets Clay even more in the Christmas spirit.

Walking up to the front counter, he greets Niki as usual and is directed to a door to his left, and is told that Nick is currently in the bathroom, and will be out shortly.

The waiting room is mostly empty, so Clay just stays and chats with Niki while he waits. 

After a few minutes, Nick walks out of the door on the left labeled ‘Restroom’ and immediately spots Clay. He walks over, and chooses to stay mostly professional, opting to peck Clay on the cheek rather than give him an actual kiss.

Not that that stops them from smiling like idiots once Nick pulls away, though.

“I brought some little pastries and some hot chocolate from that little cafe by the apartment, thought you’d want something warm and sweet considering how cold it is out.”

Taking a sip of the hot chocolate, Nick smiles.

“Thank you so much, this is perfect.” 

God, Clay loves that smile.

“Of course, I love you, I’m gonna go ahead and get back home so I can get out the decorations for later.”

“Mkay I love you too, I’ll see you later.”

And just like that, Clay is sliding back into his car. Instead of taking off immediately, though, he first sits back in his seat, burying his face into his hands. He can feel that his face is burning, and his smile is wide.

He loves Nick, and even doing something as simple as bringing him lunch at work for a whole eight minutes, only two of which being spent with Nick, feels so  _ normal _ . It’s tooth-rottingly sweet and Clay simply can’t get over it.

What a feeling.

He takes a few deep breaths, starts up the car, and he’s on his way home.

\- - -

The sound of bright laughter fills the room, and before he knows it, Clay is laughing as well.

While they wait for Nick to get there, Clay’s letting Tubbo play with the garland (making sure Tubbo doesn’t somehow get it around his neck) and both of them think it’s hilarious for some reason. Tubbo’s laughing from where he’s buried himself under the garland, a sound that warms Clay’s heart, and makes him laugh as well.

Even if it was a shock at first, and one that has since changed Clay’s life dramatically, he’s glad to have Tubbo in his life. If this hadn’t happened Clay isn’t sure he’d have ever had kids, but now he can’t imagine life any other way.

Funny how things work out, huh?

As their laughter dies down, there’s a knock on the door, and Clay doesn’t even need to look up to know who it is as the door opens.

Nick.

And, wow. He’s clearly gone home and changed, maybe even showered, after work, given the comfy looking sweater and pants, and his hair, which is suspiciously fluffier than earlier.

When he sees Tubbo’s head just barely poking out from beneath a pile of garland, Clay can see him physically holding back a smile.

“So what’s going on here?”

“Oh, yknow, just doing some-” Clay has to pause to poorly conceal his laughter, “Just doing some light decorating.”

“Right.”

Nick hangs his coat on the rack and slides off his shoes, walking over and sitting on the floor with the other two boys.

“So are we decorating this tree or not?” His voice is playful, and smooth as ever.

Clay melts slightly.

How did he get so lucky?

“I do believe that’s what we planned to do here, but this floor is just  _ so _ comfy you might have to help me up.” He shoots Nick a pair of puppy dog eyes. He can obviously get up himself, and he doesn’t even think the floor is  _ that _ comfortable, but that’s not going to stop him from being whiny about it. I mean, who would he be to pass up an opportunity for Nick to pick him up?

Nick rolls his eyes dramatically, reaching down and scooping Clay up bridal style, before lowering him back so that he’s standing.

That was smooth as hell.

“Thanks, I know.”

Shit, had he said that out loud?

“Did I say that out loud?”

Nick laughs. “Yeah, you did. And don’t worry, I appreciate the compliment. Now, what do you typically start with on the tree? I haven’t done this in a while.”

They get to work, starting with the lights and moving on to the baubles. They let Tubbo get a lot of the lower branches, occasionally lifting him up so he can get the higher branches as well. Once they finish with the baubles, all that’s left in the box is the star.

This is the part both Clay and Nick have been the most excited for. They had talked about it late into the hours last night, agreeing that it’s probably the cutest tradition to ever exist.

Taking out his phone, Nick records as Clay hands Tubbo the star, lifting him up so Tubbo can haphazardly stick it onto the top of the tree. It sparkles in the light, and it genuinely looks like something out of a commercial as Clay pulls Tubbo back, spinning him around in the air. Tubbo’s high-pitched giggles fill the air as he’s spun, kicking his feet in the air lightly.

Nick stops recording after a moment of spinning, walking over and pausing their actions to reach over and kiss Clay, giving Tubbo a soft kiss on the forehead as well. They may not be an official family, but they’ve all found that that’s not what really matters.

It’s why they’re all three taking Christmas photos later that week with both Clay’s mother and sister, as well as Karl and Tommy. They’ve already got the outfits picked out, and the photos are sure to be adorable. They’ve got matching outfits for almost everyone, with Tubbo and Tommy’s being reindeer onesies, Drista and her mom’s being santa-style dresses, Clay and Nick’s being normal black and white suits with candy cane patterned ties, and Karl-

Well, Karl’s insisted on wearing an elf costume, complete with the silly hat, pointed shoes, and fake ears.

Clay’s best friend could be rather confusing sometimes, but he’d be lying if he said it wasn’t hilarious 99% of the time.

All in all, the photos should turn out amazing, and Clay’s mother said that they’d make good postcards.

Clay couldn’t argue with that, and Karl, Nick, and Mrs. Innit have already agreed that it’d be fine with them (Mrs. Innit insisted that she get copies of the photos though).

Moving forward with the night, they go into the kitchen. They’re going to make sugar cookies with fun shapes, and decorate them all Christmas-y.

It’s something Clay’s family always did when he was little, and he really wanted to carry little traditions like this into raising Tubbo. They’re some of his favorite memories, and he thinks it’s only fair that Tubbo gets the same experiences.

Nick and Tubbo are sitting at the barstools on the other side of the counter, and as Clay adds ingredients to the bowl, he lets Tubbo do some of the easier things like pouring the contents of the measuring cup into the bowl after Clay’s filled them, and cracking the eggs (Which nearly gives both Clay and Nick heart attacks every time).

Once all of the ingredients are in the bowl, Nick stirs most of the way before letting Tubbo stir the rest.

Letting the ball of dough flop out of the bowl and onto the freshly cleaned counter that’s lightly dusted with flour, he rubs some flour on the rolling pin as well. He pushes the rolling pin across the dough, rhythmically pushing and pulling it back until the dough is a relatively flat sheet on the counter. 

He had washed off the cookie cutters from earlier and left them by the sink to dry, so he now brings them over to the cookie sheet where Tubbo and Nick are still sitting.

“Hi baby, which shape do you wanna use?” His voice goes all high-pitched when he asks, leaning down to Tubbo’s level for a moment to show him the various shapes. Tubbo looks at all of them, pointing softly at the one shaped like a snowman before leaning back.

“Mkay buddy lets get your hands washed in the bathroom and then we can get to cookie cutting!”

He takes Tubbo to the bathroom, holding him up as he guides Tubbo through washing his hands. Once they’re done, Tubbo’s patience has almost run out completely, with him hardly sitting still long enough to dry his hands.

He’s babbling softly, and Clay gets excited for a short moment. Tubbo’s first birthday is coming up, and according to his mom and google both, he should be saying his first words soon.

And what a moment that’ll be.

They move back into the kitchen, Nick drying off his own hands from where he had washed them in the kitchen sink.

“We all ready to get to work here?”

“Yessir we are.”

And then they get to cookie cutting. Tubbo switches between multiple different shapes as he goes, from the snowman, to the tree, and even the bell shaped one.

He’s clearly focused, and it’s adorable to say the least.

Not to mention how cute Nick looks as well.

The two of them look almost identical in their facial expressions, hard at work making sure the cut-outs are perfect and make it to the baking sheet in one piece. Clay’s already done a few of his own, and is now just watching his two favorite boys work.

He wouldn’t trade moments like this for the world.

Eventually, though, they get all of the cookies they can from the dough, sticking them in the oven before splitting the tiny ball of leftover dough between the three of them. He knows too much will make him sick, and he assumes the same goes for Tubbo, so he makes sure to only give him a tiny bit.

While they wait for the cookies to bake, they discuss what movie to watch. Eventually, they settle for the stop-motion Rudolph, and they all cuddle up with soft blankets on the couch.

They get roughly 10 minutes in before Clay’s phone is buzzing with the alarm he set for the baking time, and Nick gets up quietly to remove them from the oven.

Letting them cool off for a moment, he slides back onto the couch and under the blankets. Clay rests his head on his shoulder, Tubbo sitting on Clay’s lap.

It’s domestic, and it’s calm.

And Clay couldn’t be happier.

Once the movie ends, they agree that the cookies should definitely be cool enough to apply icing to, getting up and moving back to the kitchen.

Clay distributes the cookies evenly to all three of them, sitting all of the colored icing tubes in the middle for free use.

And, by the end of it, They all end up with at least a little icing on their faces, and a bunch of very- ahem-  _ unique _ cookies.

Even if the cookies are somewhat odd, they all still enjoy them just the same.

And if Nick notices that Clay snaps a few photos of them all frosting and eating the cookies, he doesn’t say anything about it.

\- - -

Clay watches as Karl bounces around on his feet. He got here last night, and today’s the day they take the photos.

They’ve all got their outfits on, and Clay adjusts Nick’s tie as they take their places. 

“I can’t believe you guys are letting me be in the photo. This is awesome!” Karl says it as if it’s a surprise to him, but when Clay lived back in Florida it wasn’t uncommon for them to meet in person after meeting online for the first time. Karl was practically family at this point. 

Clay’s mom was currently positioning Tommy and Tubbo in the front, and Clay has to stop himself from letting out an audible ‘Aww’ at the display. They’re wearing their little reindeer onesies, and one of Tubbo’s antlers is flopping slightly.

Could they get any cuter?

The answer is probably no.

Eventually, everyone takes their places, and the camera snaps a few times, with them all making different facial expressions in between flashes.

And Clay was right, the photos turn out adorable.

Mrs. Innit thinks so too, and he sees her stick it to the fridge as he drops Tommy back off at home, still in his reindeer onesie.

When he gets home, he has Nick, Tubbo, Drista, and his mom all in tow. By the end of the night it’s just going to be him, Nick, and Tubbo, so he makes sure to savor this time. Karl will be back tomorrow, but for the night he’s going to stay in his hotel room.

Walking into the apartment, they all sit around and talk about nothing for a while, but it doesn’t last long because Clay’s sister and mom say they need to get home before the snowstorm really starts to hit, taking their leave after saying their goodbyes to everyone. Karl follows shortly after, and Clay can’t blame any of them for wanting to get out before it gets too late. A huge snowstorm is meant to be moving in that night, and the city is more than dangerous enough as it is, even more so when buried under many,  _ many _ inches of pure snow.

Clay hadn’t realized how late it had gotten until Tubbo was passed out cold on the loveseat in the room, and his phone’s clock reads midnight.

Shit.

He quickly picks Tubbo up, moving into his room and tucking him into bed. Tubbo starts to stir slightly as Clay moves away, so Clay reaches over and places a soft bee plushie in Tubbo’s arms, settling him once again.

He makes his way out of the room, and he definitely doesn’t trip over the rug in the living room and crash into Nick’s arms on the couch.

It was definitely intentional and not a mistake at all.

He’s not being very convincing, is he?

He can’t complain though, because after he falls, he stays there and allows himself to drift off in Nick’s arms.

\- - -

Fast forward a couple days, and Clay finds himself saying his goodbyes to Karl after they end a stream. They had been playing jackbox with a few other friends, but it’s currently Christmas Eve, and Karl has a flight to catch.

Waving goodbye, Clay shuts back the front door. Since Nick doesn’t have to work due to the holidays, he’s been staying around the house with Clay and Tubbo, and he’s currently sitting in the living room doing something on his laptop while Tubbo naps on the other couch.

And it works out, because Clay thinks he’s going to ask Nick to move in tomorrow, on Christmas Day. He’s got it planned out- His family is supposed to arrive today so they can all open presents, and then head home tonight so just Tubbo, Nick, and Clay can spend Christmas Day together tomorrow.

Speaking of which, Clay should probably get started on dinner. Well, on  _ his _ part of dinner. Clay’s mom is bringing ham with her (nobody makes ham the way Clay’s mom does, he swears), and Clay is in charge of making the side dishes.

Easy enough, right?

Wrong, apparently.

He has to get Nick to help him with the rolls. Why, you ask? He’s already made two batches himself and they’ve both come out charred and smoking. He isn’t sure how, he’s never had such bad luck with cooking like this.

He tries not to get frustrated, just assisting Nick when he can and cleaning up the messes. The rest of the cooking goes smoothly, with the two of their efforts combined. And by the time there’s a knock on the door the kitchen has been cleaned up and the food has been set out on the dining table. They rarely use the dining table, but Clay couldn’t really tell you why. It’s in front of a set of windows that, while they lead onto the fire escape, they have a decent view of the street, and they let in a nice bit of light.

Clay wakes Tubbo up from his nap, and lets his family in. Once they take off their coats, Clay discovers that his mother has forced Drista to wear matching ugly Christmas sweater with her.

And yes, he does tease Drista for it good-naturedly. 

What else are big brothers for?

Getting an exaggerated eye roll for his efforts, Clay sighs dramatically and they all sit down for dinner. Topics discussed during dinner include whatever Drista’s painting at the moment, to the possible existence of various cryptids, and the weather.

Yknow, typical family dinner topics.

But then Tubbo makes a noise, and the table falls quiet.

Voice hopeful, Clay speaks quietly. 

“Can you say that again baby? Yeah?”

Tubbo smiles wide before giving Clay a bright- “Da-da!”

Holy shit.

Those are Tubbo’s first words. 

His first words were calling Clay his father.

Sure, that maybe should’ve been expected, but it still makes Clay tear up.

It really hits that this is real, that he’s a father, and that he’s committed to this for the rest of his life.

He tries to stop the tears before they start to pour, but he fails miserably.

He feels a hand on his cheek, and Nick turns his face to look at him. 

And wow, that’s an expression he doesn’t see everyday.

Nick is looking at him like he’s hung the moon- like he’s the one who hung all the stars in the sky.

If only Nick knew that Clay feels the exact same way for him.

\- - -

After yesterday, Clay had  _ crashed _ . He had no trouble falling asleep that night, despite Christmas being the next day, and that’s never happened before. He’s never been able to sleep the night before Christmas ever since he was a kid.

After the dinner they had turned on a random Christmas movie, made cookies for Santa, put Tubbo to bed, and then eaten the cookies they left out for Santa.

Clay never thought he’d be the parent to fake Santa’s existence, but after talking with Nick about it and recalling how excited he got while waiting for Santa, he decided that Tubbo deserved that experience as well.

When he gets up in the morning, he finds that he’s not the first one awake. Nick is laying on his chest, and even though his eyes are hardly open, it’s clear that he’s been awake for a little bit.

“Well hey there handsome.” Clay’s voice is deeper due to him just waking up, but Nick certainly doesn’t seem to mind.

“Good morning to you too you flirt.” Nick’s voice is also a little raspier from not speaking since he woke up, but his tone is still playful as he sits up stretching his arms above his head. With the cool light pouring through the window, and the way his shirt just barely rides up over his stomach, Clay thinks he looks like an angel.

And he really might as well be one at this point.

Clay rests his hands on Nick’s hips from where he sits above him, just gently rubbing circles into the skin there with his thumbs.

It’s so calm. It’s so  _ domestic _ .

Clay can’t believe this is his real life.

Eventually, though, they both get up, taking turns using the bathroom before they go and wake Tubbo up.

For Christmas Clay’s got him a couple new toys, and a few new outfits as well, but the one he’s most excited for Tubbo to have is a plushie that used to be Clay’s when he was a baby. It has a similar material to that of some of Tubbo’s favorite plushies, so Clay really hopes he likes it.

Once they’ve got Tubbo awake, they sit him down on the couch and set up the little camera on the mantle of the fake fireplace. It doesn’t actually burn, moreso just there for decoration, but it’s at the perfect angle to film little family moments like this.

It’s Tubbo’s first Christmas, and it’s a running tradition in Clay’s family to film your child’s first holidays. He used to think it was a dumb tradition growing up, I mean, why would you want to watch a tiny you fumble around with gift wrap?

But now, things have obviously changed.

And now,  _ Clay _ is the parent filming the videos of his kid during the holidays.

Things have really come full circle, huh?

Wow.

Once they’ve got the camera rolling and Nick’s lit one of his peppermint scented candles, they hand Tubbo his first present.

As they go through all the gifts, they find the area under the tree growing more and more empty until there’s only one box labelled ‘Tubbo’ left.

And Clay’s saved the best for last.

When Clay was little, he had this tiny little stuffed dragon. He would sleep with it every night, and he still hasn’t found another one like it. From the plush material to the pastel orange color, it’s  _ perfect _ , and no one could convince Clay otherwise.

He hands the box to Tubbo, helping him a little with the wrapping paper and the tape on the box, and once Tubbo sees the plushies he immediately picks it up, pushing the box to the side.

“Do you like him? His name is Porridge!” 

Tubbo makes even more noises of excitement, hugging the plushie.

They play with Tubbo’s new presents for a while, letting him shove whichever toy he wants into their hands. Around evening time, they make some soup, all three of them sitting on the couch as they eat. By the time he’s done eating, Tubbo is already dozing off, hardly sitting down the empty bowl before curling up with Porridge.

It’s a sweet sight, but Clay makes sure to tuck Tubbo into bed before it gets too late.

And then it’s time for Clay and Nick to open  _ their _ presents.

They go back and forth about which one of them should open their presents first, but eventually Clay just shoves a box into Nick’s hands and tells him to just open it already.

What he doesn’t realize is that the gift is the one he intended to give Nick later that night.

Inside the neatly wrapped box is an official key to the apartment, a little teddy bear, and a check with the exact amount to get Nick out of his own tiny apartment. He never spends time there anymore anyways.

Nick freezes as he looks into the box, processing the contents of it.

“Is this- Am I- Do you-” Nick makes a confused sound, looking up at Clay hopefully.

“I’m not sure what that means but I’m asking you to move in with me, if that’s uh- that’s what you’re. . . referring to.” His words slow down a bit as he finishes his sentence, unsure.

As he meets Nick’s eyes, he immediately notices the tears in his eyes.

Panic.

“Oh my god baby did I say something wrong? I was just asking if you’d like to you don’t have to if you don’t want to I promise-” 

Nick kisses him.

He can taste a trace of salty tears in the mix, but with the way Nick has wrapped his arms around Clay’s neck and is pressing so close they might as well be one and the same.

They just stay there, kissing like that on the couch for what feels like hours, before they eventually open the rest of their gifts.

The night ends peacefully, and it’s by far the best Christmas Clay has ever had.

. . .

That is, until Clay wakes up to a harsh knocking on the door the next morning, being met with a strangely familiar note when he opens it.

_ George. _

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> What an ending- That can't be good. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed! Let me know what you wanna see next from this series, I'm open to suggestions currently! Have a nice day, and remember, all kudos and comments are greatly appreciated :D


End file.
